SAN ANTONIO -- The streak of losses in the Alamo City is dead. So is the nationwide expectation that the Spurs would smash Golden State.

The underdog Warriors, whose historic collapse ruined their chance to steal the opener, introduced themselves to the nation Wednesday as a legit contender with a 100-91 win over No. 2 seed San Antonio in Game 2. This second-round Western Conference series shifts to Oracle Arena tied at 1-1.

"I watched TV all day, and people talked about how we were going to come in with our heads down from the blow that we received," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "The reason they're saying that is because they're new to watching us."

This time, the other guard in what Jackson has called the "greatest shooting backcourt in NBA history" put on the show.

Point guard Stephen Curry -- who had 44 points in Game 1, including six 3-pointers -- drew lots of attention from the Spurs defense. He wasn't the same scoring machine in Game 2, finishing with 22 points on 7-of-20 shooting.

But second-year guard Klay Thompson picked up the slack. He set career highs with 34 points -- 29 in the first half -- and 14 rebounds, his first career double-double. His eight 3-pointers was also a career high and the most ever by a Warrior in a playoff game.

"I thought it was polite of them to at least take turns and not be on fire on the same night," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Klay was unbelievable."

Advertisement

The Warriors' guards did most of the heavy lifting on offense. But they weren't the only reasons San Antonio is scratching its head looking for answers. The Warriors' defense, for the second consecutive game, bottled up the Spurs. This time, though, minus the historic run over the final four minutes of regulation.

Golden State, which had lost 30 straight in San Antonio since February 1997, held the Spurs to 39.3 percent shooting and won the battle of the boards.

Thompson, in addition to providing the largest offensive punch, forced Spurs guard Tony Parker to 7-of-17 shooting for his 20 points. Tim Duncan had 23 points and nine rebounds, but he only had six points after halftime.

In Game 1, the Warriors led by 16 points with 4:31 left in the fourth quarter. But San Antonio made its final six shots of the quarter during an 18-2 run that forced overtime. After that, the Spurs combined for 10-of-17 shooting (58.8 percent), capped by Manu Ginobili's game-winning 3-pointer in the second overtime.

But Wednesday, the Warriors' defense held firm. Golden State held San Antonio to 19 points on 38.1 percent shooting in the fourth quarter, limiting the Spurs to four points in the paint and zero second-chance points.

From the outset, the Warriors seemed unfazed by their fourth-quarter meltdown in Game 1 and, dramatically, built up another big lead on the host Spurs. Thompson hit four straight 3-pointers to power an 18-5 Warriors run to close the half. His seventh of the first half sent Golden State into the locker room up 62-43.

Golden State led by as much as 20 in the third quarter and was up 75-56 at the 5:14 mark after a jumper by Carl Landry.

But the Spurs made a charge to get back in it. San Antonio scored the next eight points then, after a pair of Andrew Bogut free throws, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to cap a 14-2 run. Golden State led 77-70, and the AT&T Center was experiencing déjà vu.

"Coach told us to have amnesia at halftime," Curry said. "We're a young team, so that might help. We can forget about it and just keep playing and having fun, not worry about another 19-point lead getting cut to six. That's going to happen on the road against a great veteran basketball team. So you can't get too rattled. We kept our composure."

A pull-up by Parker cut the Warriors' lead to 88-82 with seven minutes left. With the game slowed to a half-court pace, Golden State managed 10 points over the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. But unlike in Game 1, the Warriors found a basket every time they needed one.

In the final four minutes, Curry iced the game with a driving layup, a step-back 22-footer over Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, and a free throw that prompted Popovich to waive the white flag.

"I truly believe trials and tribulations are transportation for where you're going," Jackson said. "Game 1 made us better. We didn't panic. We made plays."

More coverage

Inside

Notebook: Bogut enjoys challenge of defending Spurs' Duncan. PAGE 5Poole: After fouling out of series opener, Thompson finds redemption in Game 2. PAGE 5ONLINE EXTRAFor more on the Warriors in the playoffs, go to WWW.mercurynews.com/warriors